"Oh, when life gets hard, I send a prayer
For this cross I have to bear and this smile I'm forced to wear
And I'm no good, no good, can't you tell?
Oh, if I could cast a spell, I would send you straight to hell"
S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion. Early April 2014.
"All I'm saying is that Leia is more like Anakin than Luke is," Sawyer stated. "She has deep anger at the Empire for the suffering they bring. She gives absolutely no fucks if the galaxy accepts their rule because, come hell or high water, she will 'bring peace and justice to her new Republic' whether they like it or not. Not only that but her leadership skills are unparalleled just like Anakin; she is one of the foremost leaders of the Rebellion at age 19. And did I mention she is the ultimate sassmaster? She has more Vader in her than Luke has in his pinky," she sipped her tea, raising her eyebrows.
Her best friend and office mate groaned. Rey was used to these passionate tirades of Sawyer's by now. This one had been directed at a visiting staff member who made the mistake of trying to explain Star Wars to her after noticing the Princess Leia and Padme Amidala figurines on her desk. The visitor stammered making up an excuse to leave and walked out of her office with his proverbial tail between his legs. Sawyer chuckled and continued to nurse her tea.
"You know, Sawyer," Rey said in her thick British accent. "I do believe you have scared off almost every eligible bachelor in this department who has tried to woo you," she laughed.
Sawyer shrugged her shoulders, "It's not my fault that I know more than they do." She laughed, "Plus, I am perfectly happy spending time alone. A relationship with a narcissistic cheater will do that to a person."
"Facts are facts," Rey said knowingly.
Sawyer turned her attention back to the computer monitors. Data from various S.H.I.E.L.D. teams were being analyzed simultaneously as well as her own data which she gathered on a separate encrypted server. Old hacker habits died hard. Sawyer had stumbled upon some files in Russian regarding an operative or a program referred to as "The Asset." It had intrigued her; she thought maybe it could be a lead to determine what exactly happened to her sister, Hunter. A notification dinged on her computer signaling the completion of an analysis on one of her programs, but before she could check, the PA system above her desk crackled to life.
"Attention all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, this is Steve Rogers."
Sawyer looked to Rey confused; she mirrored her expression. Last Sawyer had heard, Captain America had gone rogue after the death of Director Fury.
"You've heard a lot about me over the last few days. Some of you were even ordered to hunt me down and I think it's time you know the truth."
Sawyer raised an eyebrow.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is not what we thought it was. It's been taken over by HYDRA. Alexander Pierce is their leader. The STRIKE and INSIGHT crew are HYDRA as well. I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you.
She heard Rey gasp.
"They almost have what they want. Absolute control. They shot Nick Fury. And it won't end there. If you launch those Helicarriers today. HYDRA will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way. Unless we stop them."
So many emotions ran through her head. Shock. Fear. Betrayal. Anger. Mostly anger. With all of her covert analysis and, to put it bluntly, snooping, how could she have missed this?
"And I know I'm asking a lot. The price of freedom is high. It always has been. And it's a price I am willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not.
The crackle of the PA speaker died. Silence followed. Sawyer had never heard the place so quiet.
Shots close by broke the silence. She jumped. Rey screamed. Sawyer slapped her hand over Rey's mouth and pulled her to the floor and under the desk. She looked at Sawyer, pure panic in her eyes. Sawyer heard pounding steps in the hallway and screams in the distance.
She whispered, "We have to get out of here, but we have to stay quiet." Rey nodded. Sawyer removed her hand from her friend's mouth, and moved towards her desk grabbing her laptop. Sawyer had to protect her personal data analysis she had collected since arriving at S.H.I.E.L.D.
A few keystrokes fired up a firewall and encryption program that would keep even the most seasoned programmer out, perks of using non-approved S.H.I.E.L.D. encryption software. Sawyer and a few of her hacker friends had developed it on a dare while she was still in college. She stashed the laptop under her desk's file cabinet, determined to come back at some point to retrieve it.
She glanced to Rey who looked to be in shock. Her gaze was unfocused and she was hyperventilating. Sawyer shook her. "Rey! Rey! We have to go." She didn't move. She slapped her friend hard across the cheek. She looked at Sawyer, startled, and then nodded.
Sawyer made a move to stand up, checking for threats within the immediate area. Her hand ghosted over her ankle as she did so confirming the presence of her firearm. Sawyer kept it strapped to her ankle, hidden by her slacks. She grabbed hold of Rey's arm pulling her up. "We have to get out of here." The shots sounded further away than before. "Will make for the emergency exit and then the parking garage." Rey nodded.
Sawyer made her way out into the hallway again checking for immediate threats. The hallway was clear. She turned to Rey and motioned her out the door. Sawyer turned and shut the door locking it with her fingerprint. When she turned back she collided with Rey's petite form. Her arms were raised, her gaze locked with a man who had his gun drawn.
"STOP!" the man ordered. "Give me access to your computers and your data!"
"I...I can't...I can't do that!" Rey stammered. "Not...Not without proper authorization!"
"Huh, alright," the man sighed resignedly and pulled the trigger. Rey fell back knocking Sawyer to the ground. A small hole in the middle of her forehead trickled with blood. Her eyes wide in a perpetual state of surprise and fear.
"NO!" Sawyer screamed bending over her body. Rey had been one of her first friends at S.H.I.E.L.D. and they had become very close over the past few years. She reminded Sawyer so much of her sister. Losing her was like losing Hunter all over again.
"Now," purred the man as he moved to stand over Sawyer, "give me access to your computers and your data!" She sobbed still hunched over Rey's body. Covertly, she moved her leg slightly to gain better access to her firearm. The man grabbed her hair and yanked, Sawyer gasped. "I won't ask again," he seethed.
Suddenly, the building began to shake. The screech of metal and concrete echoed throughout the building. Lights flickered and ceiling tiles fell down. Distracted, the man let go of her hair and lowered his weapon. Sawyer made a move for her gun, clicking off the safety and placed her finger on the trigger. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave," you spat. The man turned back; his face inches from the barrel. Sawyer pulled the trigger. Blood spattered over her face. It's coppery taste filled her mouth as the man fell over. Sawyer scrambled up and ran quickly down the hallway. She suddenly stopped and glanced back at her fallen friend. She didn't want to leave her here, but she knew carrying her would show her down. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Tears stung her eyes. Sawyer wiped her face, managing to only smear her assailant's blood down her mouth and chin. The building shuddered as she ran to the emergency exit, gun drawn, and at the ready.
A Motel. Washington DC. April 2014.
Since the escape from the Smithsonian, Sawyer had been on edge. She felt a weight in your chest but her heart would not stop pounding. Jittery and hyper-vigilant, she sat in the stiff desk chair the cheap motel offered alternating bouncing her leg and twisting her long hair around her fingers.
Going back to Sawyer's apartment was out of the question. By now, the STRIKE team had been informed of her aiding the Winter Soldier, which placed a large target on her back. She had already remoted into her desktop from her phone and erased all of the hard drives with their included self-destruction code sequences, rendering the machine unusable and her data inaccessible. After writing down any contact information that may usable, Sawyer had Bucky crush the phone with his metal arm and then tossed it into a dumpster a few streets over. She had paid for one night with cash using the emergency $100 she kept in her purse. She and Bucky needed somewhere to hide and plan out their next move. As of this afternoon, Sawyer was on HYDRA's radar as well as Bucky; they needed to get out of DC.
"I think we should leave DC," Sawyer started once Bucky had checked the room for any surveillance equipment and had identified quick exits.
Bucky sat on the bed across from her chair; he shook his head and made a move to say something. Sawyer held up her hand.
"Let me finish," she said simply. "Rollins recognized me. By now, he's told his superiors of my involvement. HYDRA will certainly come after me now if they think I have any information about you. I feel it would be unwise to split up now."
Bucky sighed looking her in the eye, "I can't ask you to do that. You've helped me so much already. I don't want to put you in more danger."
"It makes the most sense, Sarge," Sawyer said leaning forward resting her elbows on her knees. "I have a very specific skill set and I have access to information they may find useful. I think they may have tried to recruit me before." Her mind wandered to her time spent with Rumlow. Sawyer sighed, "They want absolute control. Over everything and everyone. That's something no one should have...I'd rather die than have them use me."
Bucky gave a sharp breath through his nose and looked at the dingy carpet, "And they may use you to draw me out if they were to ever get their hands on you," Bucky said softly.
Sawyer almost hadn't heard him. Did he really think that highly of her or would he have only helped her out of guilt? She looked down shoving her emotions aside. "High probability they would just kill me outright; especially, if I refused to join them," she said running her hand through her auburn hair, smirking slightly. She paused. "I have connections in New York City; someone who can help us get new passports and IDs."
"Do you trust them?" asked Bucky raising his eyebrow questioningly. "I don't wa-"
"I do," Sawyer smiled slightly. "And trust me, they can take care of themselves should HYDRA try and fuck with them."
Bucky nodded. "We'll leave tonight then," he said.
Sawyer nodded in agreement. She leaned back in her chair biting her lip. Thoughts racing. Could they actually leave without being detected? It seemed almost impossible these days. Cameras were everywhere, and even though most of the members scattered after The Uprising, after this afternoon's events, it seemed there were still some intact divisions of HYDRA. Bucky being the Winter Soldier may not be enough to get them out of the city.
"What is it?" Bucky asked.
Sawyer rubbed her forehead. "I can't help but feel like we are horrendously unprepared and outgunned. I mean," she reached down and pulled her Smith & Wesson M&P out of her purse, "I have this...but no extra ammo."
She handed the firearm to Bucky. He examined it closely, checking the chamber. "Huh, I am more of a SIG Sauer P220 kinda guy, but this isn't terrible." He said handing it back to her. "Didn't take you for the gun-carrying type, doll."
Sawyer breathed a laugh, "Yeah...I grew up in western Colorado, smack dab in the middle of the Rockies. My grandfather was a Marine veteran. He insisted me and my sister, Hunter, learn how to shoot. 'These mountains are dangerous' he used to say, 'but not as dangerous as the rest of the world can be,'" she smiled. "I didn't like it but knowing what he had been through in Korea and Vietnam, I didn't argue with him. I'm not the best shot though, that's for sure," her voice trailed off, "but I will do whatever it takes to protect myself and things I care about." Her thoughts wandered to the HYDRA agent she killed at the Triskelion and Rey. Sawyer took a deep breath shaking her head. "Anyway, I have a feeling we will need information and ways to access it down the road."
"Makes sense," Bucky agreed, "I feel the same. Where do you propose we get it?"
Sawyer smirked. An idea already forming in her head. "I don't think you are going to like it."
Bucky cocked his head to the side.
"We're going to need to go back to the Triskelion."